1. Hell has different names
It is called Gehenna, which is the place outside of Jerusalem where trash is burned. The idea is that instead of a respectful burial, one would be burned with the trash. It is sometimes called Hades, which is the Greek word for Sheol, the abode of the dead. In Revelation it is called The Lake of Fire. It is also called “eternal punishment” or the “eternal fire” in Matthew 25.
2. Hell isn’t mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures
In the Old Testament, everyone who dies goes to Sheol, which is a place for spirits, but it isn’t much of a life. No one can really do much of anything, not even praise God! (Psalm 6:5). In Sheol, everyone is silent (Psalm 31:17). But this idea of death is really no different from the pagan world around them—for the most part, all the peoples in the world considered death to be the same for everyone: silent, lifeless, bodiless and empty. Jesus, in Luke 16, indicates that Sheol is not altogether silent and that there is a division between the followers of God and the hypocrites.
3. Hell is based on the idea of resurrection
The Old Testament doesn’t speak much on resurrection, but the idea is possibly discussed in some of the Psalms (22:29-31) in Isaiah and is certainly mentioned in Daniel (12:2-3). The main idea of resurrection is giving those who are righteous but suffering on earth a second chance. But it is also about punishing those who lived well on earth, but caused suffering to others. But the original idea of hell only has a few people entering it.
4. Hell was made primarily for Satan
Hell was originally created to punish Satan, who rebelled against God’s mercy and God’s chosen rulers of the earth, humanity. However, hell was also made to punish Satan’s servants, and those who caused suffering to humanity or who were opposed to God’s mercy are Satan’s servants. (Matthew 25:41)
5. Jesus spoke about the reality of hell
While some Christians today are doubtful about the reality of hell, wanting to call it a symbol, Jesus was not hesitant to talk about its reality. Jesus did use symbols, but when he explained the symbols, he spoke of eternal punishment as a reality (Matt 13:41-42). Jesus also spoke of eternal punishment as being as real as eternal life (Matthew 25:46).
6. We don’t exactly know what hell is like
There are a number of descriptions of hell. It is a place of fire (Matthew 13:42, 25:41; Revelation 20:14-15; Isaiah 66:24). But the spirits suffering in Sheol also are suffering in fire (Luke 16:24), and this is unlikely to be fire as we understand it, as it is a spiritual realm. The main issue is that hell is a place of great suffering and contempt for those who are there. “Weeping and gnashing of teeth” is the most common phrase Jesus used about hell, and it indicates the suffering there. What that suffering is—whether it be physical, mental, spiritual or what have you is unknown.
7. Entrance into hell is based on one’s deeds
Entrance into hell is based on the judgment and justice of God. God judges all and makes a determination as to one’s placement for eternity. What many don’t understand is that this placement is based on what one does, not one what one believes. All of Scripture confirms this (Jeremiah 17:10; Ezekiel 18:24; Hosea 12:2; Matt 12:36-37; Romans 2:6, 9-11; John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:12-13; Matthew 16:27; II Corinthians 5:10; Rev. 2:23). Thus, one goes to hell not because of one’s ideas, but because of evil one has done.
8. Hell is for hypocrites, the lawless, the causers of sin
Jesus was very specific about the evil people do to get into hell. First of all, it is for those who claim to be right with God when they have unrepentant sin in their lives (Luke 13:1-5; Matthew 23:23-33; Hebrews 10:26-27). These are people who claim to be believers but don’t act like it. Those who are “lawless” and those who “cause others to stumble” also are intended for hell. These are people who know what God wants and ignores it as well as people who cause followers of God to sin or to disbelieve in His word (Matthew 13:41-42). Thus, hell is more for those who claim to be followers of God than those who don’t.
9. Jesus didn’t say all unbelievers were going to hell
This is the complicated issue. Hell seems to be specifically for those who do crimes against God’s people. But those who didn’t cause others to suffer, even if they didn’t believe in God, don’t seem to be punished simply because of their disbelief. The only ones punished for their disbelief are those who have God’s evidence placed right in front of them and they reject what is obvious.
10. In Revelation, everyone is raised and judged to go to God’s kingdom or hell
In Revelation 20, all the dead are raised and judged by God, not just some. Here and John 5:28 are the only places that indicate that judgment is for everyone. All other passages seem to indicate that if justice is not given on earth, then resurrection would happen to give justice. However, in these two passages, everyone is raised from the dead and given justice. Once the dead are put in the lake of fire, however, we do not know whether they still live or whether they become annihilated after their judgment.
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